Raw vegan doggy treats?

[exurb]

Raene, have you thought of getting a pet that is a natural vegan if you want to feed vegan?

I still am not crazy about the idea of people confining animals and feeding them against their natural inclination and years of evolution. If you want a vegan pet there are many options of vegan animals that make nice pets, then you are providing the best possible husbandry for that pet, and there are no issues with the diet. I think dogs might be a little easier to convert than cats, but why not just get a pet that's a natural raw vegan?

RP your dog sounds awesome and very healthy and I'm glad it's working for you and him, so I don't mean any comment at all for you since it seems to be working, but maybe another individual dog wouldn't be as happy (especially a puppy that's not fully grown).

Raene, why try to fit a square peg into a round hole, why not get a pet that's a natural vegan if you want to feed vegan? Since you said it was your future puppy, I thought I would make that recommendation to you.

I believe when we take responsibility for a living pet the onus on us is to give them the best possible husbandry, which for me includes trying to meet their natural biological and ethnographic needs.

[exurb]

Raene, since you said it was your future puppy and you want to feed raw vegan, why not just get a pet that is a natural raw vegan. Then there's no issue whether you're meeting its ethnographic and biological needs, the diet is a non-issue, and you can know you're providing the best husbandry to your pet, that is both in keeping with your philosophies of what you want to feed and what that creature eats in nature.

[Raene]

Update--my pup loves her vegan dogfood! She hasnt been into the raw stuff I've offered (carrots, spinach, watermelon, apple) but the cooked stuff she goes after. Yay! Hopefully as she adjusts she'll learn to like raw too.

[Angie19]

I have just read this thread and see that some are feeding grapes, tomatoes, avocadoes to their pets. These are toxic to dogs and cats - here is some info:

Avocados
They contain a toxic component called persin, which can damage heart, lung and other tissue in many animals. This fruit is very toxic to dogs, cats and most animals.

Nuts
Walnuts and macadamia nuts are especially toxic. Effects can be anything from vomiting to paralysis to death. Within 12 hours of eating the nuts, pets start to develop symptoms such as an inability to stand or walk, vomiting, hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), weakness, and an elevated heart rate. These symptoms can be even worse if your dog eats some chocolate with the nuts. The effect can cause kidney failure, often leading to death. ( I did not know about walnuts - I have fed them to my dog and won't anymore either)

Candy
Candy or anything containing Xylitol (a common sweetener found in some diet products) can cause a sudden drop in an animal's blood sugar, loss of coordination and seizures. If left untreated, the animal could die.

Grapes and raisins
Grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure in dogs. As little as a single serving of raisins can kill them. And the effects are cumulative, which means that even if a dog eats just one or two grapes or raisins regularly, the toxin that builds in his system will eventually kill him.

Onions
Onions are another common food that can be highly toxic to pets. They can destroy an animal's red blood cells and lead to anemia, weakness and breathing difficulties. Their effects are also cumulative over time. Also garlic - lots of dog foods have garlic in them and I don't know why - if there is a chance of a food harming a pet why put it in?

The more commonly known bad foods are chocolate, caffeine, persimmons, nutmeg, mushrooms and raw egg whites.

I fed my pets lots of these foods for many years and did not know. However, due to one of our dog's health issues, we had to lots of research on what to feed her (she is on home cooked with lots of veggies and lots of raw for treats). I was shocked to find some of these foods were toxic to pets and now avoid them. Most people only want the best for their pets and the same kind of care must be taken in the choice of foods we give them, just as we make a wise choice for our own diet.

[helen2207]

Personally I don't think it is fair to force an animal, such as a dog, which is naturally a predator and a carnivore, to be a vegan.It's just as wrong to do the same to a cat, as they have not evolved, and are not built to be vegan.


As a human you have the option of choosing your diet, based on your physical makeup, and the fact that we have evolved and adapted to an omnivorous diet.

To force a cat or dog to eat a diet which is alien to what they have evolved as is just plain wrong in my opinion, as the dog or the cat has not the choice of what they eat. This is not enlightened behaviour in my opinion folks.

If your dog chooses to eat carrots or fruits occasionally great, but to change them to a raw vegan diet, is irresponsible!!!!

If you feed them raw, choose raw meats and very little vegetables etc and supplement with vitamins, have a chat with your vet, do research on the web.It's better to have a healthy companion, than sacrifice your pet's health for your philosophical beliefs, no matter how deeply held.

Why cause irreversible damage to a defenceless animal?

How is that kind, caring or saving the earth?

Carla.

I agree totally animal eat meats period.

[iwuvmydoggy]

Walnuts and macadamia nuts are especially toxic.

Yeah.. Horses have issues with walnuts, too...

Also garlic - lots of dog foods have garlic in them and I don't know why - if there is a chance of a food harming a pet why put it in?

I've talked with some vets that use garlic as a seasoning.. One of them told me that if you combine it with pepper (like cayenne), then it negates the bad effects of the garlic & they get the healthful benefits of it. The vet that told me this makes vegan pet food & his dogs have lived 22+ years. I forgot what his name is, as it's been several years, but I'll see if I can find the emails I exchanged with him & let you know at a later date.


In regards to avocados.. See this post: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthrea...-good-for-dogs!

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In regards to the topic of the thread, I give my dog raw almonds. He likes them. lol I'll just give them to him 1 by 1 & he gets all happy and excited. It's so cute! :) I don't have a dehydrator, so can't do the almond crackers, but I'm sure he'd love those, too. :)

[RSQdogs]

The collie that lived a long vegan life lived on a farm so I am sure he found plenty of sources of meat ;) When people talk about vegan diets being better than commercial feed that is correct BUT for those that don't feed those horrible foods its easy to make a nice fresh raw diet for them that includes meat and veggies. Btw if dogs are vegans they will die without supplementation of taurine and other essential amino acids, even the vegan sites will tell you that. Cats definitely would suffer on a vegan diet. In order to balance a vegan diet one must use grains which most dogs are allergic to and don't have the capacity to digest. Believe me, I looked into all this and researched it thoroughly and came away knowing I would not do that to my dog. When I don't have time to make their food myself I buy Primal or Stella and Chewys foods. anne

Dogs are not natural carnivores, they are omnivores. And the stuff in meaty dog food has tumors, flea repellent, rotting animals, etc in it. Did you know the oldest dog in the world, a 27 yr old collie, has always been fed a vegan diet? If I remember right, she's fed lentils, rice, and steamed veggies every day. There are many articles about how vegan dogs actually live up to 33% longer than the meateating dogs.
I used to agree with you, but after doing lots of research, I know that it's not a mean diet to feed dogs. Cats on a vegan diet I somewhat wonder about, but I know dogs really thrive. Do some research...the results are fascinating.